And Now for Something Completely Different
by Charlie Hartley
Summary: On an ill-advised trip to Great Britain, Travis stays with Katie after years apart. I shall stick to the usual format of drama, romance and tears as seems to be tradition when it comes to this Tratie fics, but I also hope to do something slightly unusual with this couple (IE it's set in the UK and should be relatively angsty, rather than fluffy). I urge you all to give it a whirl!
1. Chapter 1

_**I've posted this before under a different name; I would go and delete the other story, but I seem to have forgotten my username and password. Anyway, I decided to repost this, having re-worded the beginning. **_

"Who, exactly, is _that?"_

Katie was sat on a striped deckchair, her bum sagging dangerously close to the floor. Beside her, on the grass, splaying her long legs in front of her, was Cass. At Cass' words, Katie glanced up from where she had been studying her phone. "Who?" she asked. Her garden was full of people mingling; it was one of Katie's father's many barbeques. 2Ten o'clock," Cass muttered, lifting her hand in order to shade her eyes from the sun.

Scanning the garden, Katie saw a teenager Cass was describing. "You mean my cousin?"

"That's your cousin? Hotness doesn't run in the family, then?"

"Well, no, not really." All of a sudden, Katie realised who she was talking about. "Oh, you mean his mate? Travis?"

Cass let a low whistle out in while exhaling. "I'd tap that."

"You'd tap everything."

"Oh my God, guys, have you seen the news?" Jack appeared behind them.

Jack was another one of Katie's very best friends. 6 ft 3, he was a giant of a man, and towered over poor Katie. His hair was in constant immaculate condition, a button was never out of place in his outfit, and he loved nothing more than Shakespeare's love sonnets; other than, perhaps, good-looking men.

"Too late, man, I saw him first."

"He's _definitely_ gay."

"He is not!"

"That," Katie piped up, interrupting their argument. "Is Travis Stoll, and you'll kindly stay away from him."

"Why? Is he taken?"

"No. He is the very definition of a bastard."

Jack sat heavily on the ground beside her, and dramatically put an over-sized hand on her arm. "I've not had a boyfriend that treats me like trash in so long," he breathed.

There was a pause.

"Whatever," Katie said irritably. "I grew up with him in the States, and I can assure you, he's not worth it." Katie lived in the USA until she was the ripe old age of thirteen, when her father had had enough of the New York. They moved to South Oxfordshire; a picturesque village that went by the name of Whitchurch-on-Thames. Without much thought, Katie befriended Cass and Jack, and hadn't looked back for the three years she had called England her home. That is, until the moment she was told that her cousin and his friend would be visiting for the long summer months.

"Ooh, I bet he'd like a challenge," Cass said with a renewed interest.

"Cass," Jack sighed. "You're not a challenge. You're a slut. Your only talent is spreading your legs for dicks that would rather be inside me."

Katie snorted. Not even the dread of a summer spent with Oscar and Travis could dampen her mood when she was sat in between Cass and Jack, the smell of burnt sausages filled her nostrils, and a Thames valley stretched out in front of her. "I wasn't talking about me!" Cass exclaimed.

"Then, who were you talking about?"

She looked thoughtful for a minute, and decided to pull Katie out of her daydream. "Introduce us to him!" Cass demanded.

"What?"

"Introduce us to hottie."

"I don't think so. I'm steering clear of him."

"You most certainly are not!" Jack said with alarm.

"I am, no matter how much either of you want to go to bed with him! Have a threesome, for all I care, but I am _not _going anywhere near him!"

Travis ran a hand through his honey coloured hair, to what effect was unclear. He surveyed his surroundings, and the only word that sprung to mind was "quaint". The weather was lukewarm at best, watery sunshine filtering through the trees. People nibbled daintily at mini hot dogs, politely making small talk with their peers. Not one appeared to be under the age of thirty.

This was what Travis established in the first few moments on the ground of his new home. "Heads up!" It was all Travis could do to spin on the spot and catch the substantial backpack that flew his way on Oscar's words. Following the unnecessarily weighty bag was Oscar himself. "Waddya think?" he asked, referring to Great Britain.

"I think," said Travis pensively. "That there aren't enough kids. Hot chicks, especially. I thought the UK was full of 'em."

"Well, don't look now, but depending on private opinion, a couple might be coming our way now." Then, in a raised voice, "Hey, Katie! Over here!"

Katie was allowing herself to be dragged to her cousin and his undeniably matured friend by Jack and Cass, tutting and rolling her eyes as she went. However, the trio stopped abruptly in their path when Oscar and Travis began to jog towards them. "Oh my God, they're coming our way!" Cass squealed. "He has a face carved by the angels!" cried Jack dreamily. "Yeah, and a body," Cass agreed, both only half in jest.

"Eew. I mean, really? You guys are seriously gross."

"Gee whizz! They musta been real mean to ya when you were just a kid!" Jack mocked, supposedly in an American accent.

"Well, yeah…" Katie grouched in reply. "They're disgusting, anyway."

Jack opened his mouth to indignantly debate the issue, but found he never would, because a particular young man interrupted his thoughts. "Yo, cuz!" Oscar said, announcing his presence brashly. "Long time, no see."

"Gawd, wadda shame. Have you flown over to terrorise me again?"

"Hey, hey, that was years ago."

Before Katie started a full blown argument, as she prone to do, Cass stepped in. "Hey, do you want to introduce us to your friends?" she asked, twiddling a piece of hair between her finger and thumb, pointedly batting her eye lids towards Travis.

Travis had hung behind his friend during the confrontation, looking like he had better places to be. For whatever reason, he was allowed by the teenage population to be a total jerk (or 'wanker' as was preferred by the English with their strange ideas), and he took full advantage of this. Rather than bother to pay attention to the word exchange, he eyed Cass greedily. She was just his type. Slender and leggy, she wasn't tall enough to give the impression of a man, but tall enough to look confident. Her caramel tone and wild hair, along with artsy clothing, gave an air of diversity to the middle class gathering.

And yet, it was not Cass who truly caught his attention. It was Katie. While Cass was slim and aloof, Katie was short and skinny and scrawny. The sleeves of her printed T-Shirt were rolled up, and obvious, elbow-length tan lines were on display. When hair was hurriedly pulled back into a scruffy ponytail, untreated spots were painfully evident at each side of her head. Perhaps it was the angry glint in her eye, the jut of her chin or the determined set of her shoulders that attracted him instantly. Or perhaps it was the look of absolute disgust she had given him as she courteously introduced them to one another.

"Cass, Jack, this is Cousin Oscar, and his friend Travis. In advance, I would like to make clear the whatever happens during the next few weeks is _so _not my fault

Jack and Cass flirted incessantly, to the point where Katie was impressed that either could stoop so low. After six or seven minutes of giggles and indiscreet winks, Katie decided she'd had enough, and turned on her heel under the pretence of wanting a hot dog. The barbeque was being held in her oversized garden, which made it easier for Katie to sneak away, into the house, and sulk on her bed. She was cross with Cass and Jack for wanting to shag Travis. She was cross with Oscar to come over, and bring a friend she hated. She was cross with her dad for agreeing wholeheartedly to house the Americans. She was cross with herself for having such pathetic feelings.

Katie turned on her side in frustration, curling into a tight ball, and squeezing her stomach in an effort to suppress emotion, her eyes glaring at the flaky paste on her wall. She did not care. She didn't like caring. She hurt too much, too easily.

It wasn't like she even knew why she cared, but betrayal stabbed her in the gut, plunging the blunt carving knife in and twisting for all it was worth. Why was she getting so worked up over her friends flirting with some boy who used to bully her? Tears sprung to her eyes, which she blinked away furiously, feeling pathetic. "You're just a desperately needy child," her mind told her maliciously.

"Shut up," she said back.

It wasn't until she was told to come down for dinner by her father that she rose from her bed. In the previous couple of hours, Katie had created a nest of pillows and duvets, and curled up in the cocoon, with some vague hope that someone would check on her. When no one did, she let the tears stream down her cheeks. It wasn't made clear why the teenager was suddenly so free with her emotions, only that the thought of Travis feeling Cass behind the bike sheds was the cause of the urge to rip someone to pieces.

Eventually, after a brief coaxing from her father, Katie got up and had a shower. The high pressure water was soothing as it hit Katie's bare back and ran through her hair, soaking it. In her chest, the knot was released and for the first time in hours, she felt like everything would be OK.


	2. Chapter 2

Travis was sat at a slightly worse for wear dining table, not bothering to listen to the small talk between Oscar and Eric, Katie's father. His face was a picture of boredom, the very definition of it, as Katie would observe when she finally joined them to eat. Eric had strict dining table rules, and so the three men had waited for the sole woman with no food. Relief was Travis' initial reaction when Katie sloped into the room and her father got up, muttering and sighing to fetch the boys' first real meal in the UK. But almost instantly, relief was replaced by arousal, which was ludicrous, to say the least. If possible, she looked even scruffier than before. Now, her hair was wet and pointedly not dried, or even brushed, and her face was scrubbed raw. In particular, her eyes were red and puffy, but the reason was unknown to Travis. His knowledge went only to a certain extent; which was that her bare feet, disastrous hair, tattered jeans, frumpy sweater, and look of disdain when their eyes met attracted him far, far more than was normal. He shook his head lightly in disbelief. It was a conundrum. There probably weren't any guide-books in the God-forsaken cottage with advice on what to do when one develops and instant, super-sized crush on an un-hot that hated his guts.

All Travis could decipher from the meal was a) rice pudding was far from his favourite treat, and b) the plans for the first week or so of their stay. The following day was Sunday, and the two boys' orders were to recover from jetlag and explore the village. It wasn't clear how much there was to explore, but neither complained. The horror that dawned on their faces when they were told that their first week would be spent at Katie's school was enough to make Eric boom with laughter. Before Travis could protest, Katie's leg shot out from under the table and kicked him in the shin – hard. While Travis bent down to rub at where he had been kicked, Eric explained the best away to be introduced to British culture was to dive, headfirst, into the midst of the 'young people'. And anyway, it would be just that; a week. What their future held would be determined at the end of that week.

"Now, why don't you kids go into the living room, and catch up? It's been a long time since you saw each other last."

Katie glowered at Travis as she stood up abruptly, and took her plate to the kitchen sink. As soon as she had directed the boys into the living room, and shut the door behind her, Travis and Oscar arranged themselves on a cracked leather sofa, facing the TV. Katie was sprawled on an armchair within a minute, and fingering the fraying edges, trying to think of what to say. All the two boys could do was wait and stare at the blank screen as pointedly as possible. It took Katie a few moments to realise why they were both staring quite so intently into the corner of the living-room. "You wanna watch the television?"

Travis gave a half nod, half shrug, and Oscar confirmed eagerly. The three teenagers passed the evening rather pleasantly in front of the large box, with a variety of programmes, ranging from _QI _to _Gavin & Stacey_ to _Downton Abbey_ to _Only Fools and Horses_. Each provided a new cultural experience for Travis, and was surprised at the quality of television on this side of the pond. He said as much to Katie, but only received a grunt in reply. In fact, all evening both he and Oscar tried to converse with the girl, but she seemed extremely reluctant. It wasn't until he and his friend prepared themselves for bed that night that he had a chance to really think about it.

"Seriously, what's her problem with us?"

"God knows. It looks like she hasn't forgotten how much you used to tease her when we were little. I'd just like to point out that it was pretty much only you and Connor, and I was barely party to the whole debacle."

"What the hell? That was years ago! How does she know we're not changed men?"

"Again, I'd like to point out that it was never my fault, and I know, she's a weird kid, but the thing is, you're not a changed man. You're horrible."

Travis' head snapped round from where he was crouched on the floor, rifling through his suitcase, and looked stricken. "I am not!"

"You are!"

"You're happy enough to be my friend!"

"Yeah, you're a great guy, but around most people, you're a jerk."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Travis sulked, scowling as he pulled on a clean T-shirt.

"Hey, I don't judge. If that's how you pick up girls, that's fine. That's your business. But you'd better realise it, because how're you ever gonna get a girl to stick with you if you sleep with them, then you're gone in the morning?"

"Who says I want them to stick with me?"

"You probably don't, but you will at some point, right?"

Travis didn't reply. He dropped onto his newly assigned bed, and faced away from his friend. "Goodnight, Oscar," he said after a lengthy pause.

"Sorry, man, I shouldn't have said all – "

"Good_night, _Oscar."

The following day, Oscar clung to the hope that Travis had forgiven him, although it was difficult to know. Both were jet-lagged and grumpy either way, and Travis sometimes chose to be a silent type. Oscar didn't feel like he had said anything shocking; it was well known that Travis was, for whatever reason, a lovely guy on his own, and horrible with other people. It hadn't even crossed his mind that Travis didn't see it like that. He was certain that Travis needed to be told at some point, and his friend was probably the best man for the job, but the trip was going to be a nightmare if Travis was going to be moody the whole time.

Neither rose from their bed until well after noon, and after a sleepy start, they spent the afternoon outside, trying to catch the watery rays of sunshine before they disappeared behind the clouds again. Eric suggested that they run up the road to find Katie (he supposed that she would be at Cass'), but she was nowhere to be found. Cass invited both inside and, tired of lying on their backsides in the dewy grass, they went in gladly.

Cass was delighted at this sequence of events. To have these two boys in her bedroom was certainly a step in the right direction. She didn't, of course, ask them to her room immediately; while she was fairly sure at least one of them, probably the pair, would comply, she wasn't as cheap as she gave the impression of being. In fact, she took pride in only getting laid when it was absolutely necessary.

They sat at her kitchen table, all with tea in mugs of a varying sort, although Travis had his reservations, it being July. However, he received the refreshments appreciatively, and set to work at getting to know her better. Cass was a breath of fresh air after Katie. She was warm, open, flirty, and more than a little attractive. Katie was cold, defensive, sarcastic, and seemed to do her best to ward everyone away. Travis scrubbed his face in frustration. Katie was a puzzle that he wanted to solve.

He would have liked to have taken credit for steering the conversation subtly towards Katie, but it was Oscar who did most of the talking, and therefore Oscar who asked about Katie. Seeing as how Oscar was Katie's cousin, he seemed to know surprisingly little about her. "So, what's her thing? She was really weird with me and Trav."

"Yeah, well, she's a strange girl. Stubborn as anything, and difficult to get close to. Since her mum passed away, way before she moved her, of course, her dad seems to have had a string of women, all of whom left. I'm not surprised that she doesn't like new people in her house, especially Americans, especially a relative of her mum, and she'll do whatever she can to not get hurt. You have a chance that she'll let her guard down, but I'm pretty sure Jack and I are her only friends, and we've been here for years."

While Travis allowed the new information to sink in, Oscar continued to quiz Cass. "Is Katie still into gardening? I remember her doing a lot when we were kids."

"Oh, absolutely. You'll never get her out of there! She's at peace, and she's not going to be bothered. To be perfectly honest, the bottom of their frankly enormous garden is where she's probably hiding now, trimming hedges or something." The conversation continued gaily, until Cass announced that she had to get on. "I'm going back to school in the morning, you see, and I must pack."

"What, do you board?"

"Only during the week. I should be back on Friday evening. Perhaps we'll get Katie to come out with us. Anyway, I really must be off; it was lovely to meet you both. Ask Katie to text me when you see her."

"Will do, Cass. See you next week."

"Bye."

"Bye."

"Bye."

_**I thought I'd update quickly, without really paying attention to what I'm writing; some old rubbish, I'd imagine. Anyway, I'd just like to get this on its feet, then we'll see how it goes. I seem to have one follower, which is better than none, although, worse than two. Perhaps I'll have acquired another one by tomorrow. **_


End file.
